


Hidden in Plain Sight

by Lucicelo



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Banter, Descendants - Freeform, Humor, Party, Revelations, alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-05-20 14:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19378144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucicelo/pseuds/Lucicelo
Summary: After centuries of self isolation, Chase Young decides to attend the annual Villain Gala. He met the infamous and saw some new villains in the roster. What he didn't expect was to find out that a familiar face was a descendant of one of the immortals.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I ended up writing a oneshot which features high prominent villains that host an annual dinner sort of thing. The Xiaolin Showdown villains don't make appearances or they would have known that Jack Spicer frequents the party as well. He wouldn't be so much of a laughing stock on the assumption his villain ancestor was guiding him along.
> 
> Edit: I changed the location to Scotland. 
> 
> Seanáthair - All father, close enough to grandfather according to sites which showed Gaelic.
> 
> garmhac - Grandson.
> 
> -Lucicelo

Dressed in silk robes that showed off his green and gold color scheme, Chase Young teleported to the location of the annual villain's bash. In an undisclosed location in Scotland, he stood in front of the meet up spot that the invitation described. A rusted over metal mailbox overtaken by shrubbery, unassuming and abandoned. He remembered the exact coordinates due to a previous invitation to the villain's bash. The host of the party, Jarlath, one of Scotland's immortals, piled on spells throughout his property. He felt the hovering of harsh magic in the background, disabled for the night.

Infusing his hand with magic, he waved it across from his body. The mailbox trembled to process his magic before the curtain of illusion dropped to show the hidden mansion. In front of his eyes, a pathway lit up with magic orbs, leading toward a mansion built into the ocean cliff side. The crashing waves curled backwards into the ocean due to the barrier spell placed on the surroundings.

In the last three centuries, he ceased attending the parties. He found solace in perfecting his craft and finding opponents to test his fighting skills. Every once in a while, he ventured out to see the world and to bask in the developments of the human race. A gathering of socializing wasn't a worthwhile venture to his status as a villain. There was a layer of respect between his brethren, so no need to go through niceties. Although, he grew curious on who remained active. He heard rumors through the usual rumor mills, but he preferred finding out the truth for himself.

Hurrying through the trail, he made it to the front entrance. With the wooden ornate doors wide open, Chase made his way through the threshold. Somewhat lowering his guard, but still keeping his instincts on alert, he inspected the hallway for any changes. Nothing too different. He noted that Jarlath's trinkets remained on the same plain pedestals, just well dusted.

One thing that somewhat peaked his interest was the portraits. The portraits lining the walls  _multiplied_. Five hundred years passed to accumulate a mass amount of photos. Considering Jarlath's pride over his clan, it didn't surprise him that the line survived despite the unpredictability of the world. He was one of the few who procreated before becoming a villain. Before Jarlath became _immortal_. Where most villains kept their existence from their descendants, Jarlath appeared in  _all_  the modern photos.

Growing bored at the two hundredth year mark of Jarlath's descendants, Chase made his way toward the main room which contained the party. When he entered inside, the party goers kept to their own conversations, not paying him any mind.

A nearby minion saw him and hurried to offer him a drink. He accepted the glass of champagne and sipped. Licking his lips, he nodded in approval. Of course, villains didn't go for cheap alcohol, they stole the best value possible.

After going through a round of socializing, he found the host of the party near the refreshment table. Jarlath's identifying silver hair was braided down his back for the occasion. Walking on forward, Chase found the skull patterned ribbon an interesting addition. Jarlath didn't tend to add on modern additions to his celtic style of dress. Then again, centuries passed since he last saw these individuals in person.

Changes were bound to happen.

He avoided colliding with minions who carried trays of food or drink for their bosses. A few gave him second glances, but kept their excitement under wraps to hurry along to complete their errand. In current centuries, it seemed the need for minions reduced to a select old fashioned types. He saw a significant decline in young men willing to tail a villain. 

When he got close enough to Jarlath, Chase made himself known with a discreet cough. "Jarlath."

The group of villains turned to him, all the immortals didn't show visual signs of emotions. At least, the ones who last saw him stayed silent. He didn't recognize a few of the villains, meaning they joined during the time of his self isolation.

"Chase Young. I see you found it in yourself to attend one of the galas." Jarlath commented with a bow. 

"Yes. Time passes so quickly." Chase bowed. "I thought a change of pace was in order." He greeted the rest of the group in their native tongues, bringing an impressed nod from the ones he knew through acquaintance.

Jarlath grinned. "Let's hope you resume coming every year from now on. It's been interesting hearing the rumors surrounding your isolation."

An ethereal beauty with blonde curls and a slight French accent piped up. "It's good to disperse the rumor that you ended up being trapped in your citadel by your servants, Chase Young. It was amusing for a decade, but the young ones tend to _embellish_ stories."

Chase shook his head in amusement. "I'm afraid not. I don't do well in captivity, Clarisse."

A one eyed Russian snorted. "Not as much as the rumor that Chase Young turned... _good_."

"No chance, Aleksei."

"Or one where Chase ended up impregnating a witch that spelled him into compliance." A Korean woman snickered behind her well manicured hands.

"I have a witch who invades my home, but she is not the mother of my imaginary child." Chase kept his hands on his back and added in before the woman continued. "Mi Soo, I have no interest in expanding my line."

"Speaking of continuing lineages. Where's your descendant Jarlath?" The looming figure at Jarlath's right, spoke in a deep Finnish accent. "Has he declined an invitation this year?"

Clarisse smiled. "Yes. Where is that charming boy of yours? He's so fun to tease." She placed a finger under her chin. "A little kiss and he's all flustered. Adorable."

Jarlath smirked. "That boy is somewhere around here. Last minute tinkering on his newest device." He sipped his well aged wine and continued. "I convinced him to get rid of that horrid hair color. He's one of the few of my blood who inherited it! Best to showcase such a feat!"

Aleksei let out a gruff. "Good that he wants to follow in your footsteps, my current descendant declined to become an ice skating coach!" He downed his vodka and his minion appeared on his side with another glass. Setting it down onto the tray, he picked up the new glass. "Then again, I've seen his coaching sessions.  _Brutal_  as one can  _imagine_. He produces the best figure skaters in Russia, making him  _untouchable_."

Murmurings of approval went throughout the circle of villains.

A dark tanned Spaniard let out a sigh. "Oh to revisit the pirate days. My armada was unbeatable. The King of Spain rewarded me kindly for keeping his waters in line under the guise of  _good_. He was so naïve in my true intentions in international waters. A wonder that Spain didn't go into wars sooner because of my interference on foreign lands."

Clarisse teased him. "Didn't an English navy captain try to stab you once, Santiago?"

Santiago growled. "I cut off his hand for such an insult. Stabbing me with a something as small as a kitchen knife. Ha! Idiot."

Noting an incoming figure from his peripheral, Chase turned his attention from beyond the group. He noticed a young man with striking silver hair rushing toward the main group of the party. Chase observed the incoming young man with inconspicuous interest. This newcomer wore a pure black tuxedo with red lace accents in the cuffs, a silk red tie, and skull cuff links.

His nose wrinkled when he picked up a familiar scent coming from this same person. As the stranger got close enough, Chase recognized the features underneath the well placed eyeliner. Instead of the jarring hook under the left eye, the eyeliner extended into a winged liner.

It was  _Jack Spicer._

"I'm here!" Jack beamed as he hugged Jarlath from behind. "Am I late to the party?"

Jarlath maneuvered Jack around and ruffled his new  _silver_  hair. "It just started to become interesting." He nodded in approval at Jack's black tuxedo.

Clarisse cooed. "Ah, you've made it, young one." She walked close and pressed a kiss on both of his cheeks. His face turned red as expected, making her chuckle in delight. "Oh, you look just like Jarlath."

"Thanks." Jack grinned up at the beautiful woman. "Couldn't miss it for world, Clarisse! Seanáthair would drag me here if I tried to say no." Keeping an arm around Jarlath, Jack waved at nearby villains. "Hey, James! Santiago! Alfhild! Ingmar! Aleksei!" He yelled out more names which briefly stopped private conversations to look over at him. "How's everyone doing tonight?!"

Scattered greetings in different languages passed throughout the crowd. Many of the well respected villains even  _smiled_  at Jack before resuming with their dealings. None of them sneered at the  _greenhorn_. In fact, they stared at him with fondness and slight amusement.

Chase observed Jack, impressed at the manner the boy genius captivated the room. From the infamous to the beginners, Jack knew  _every_  single one of them. Jack took time out of his life to  _remember_  his colleagues. A vast difference from the babbling fanboy he grown accustomed to. It seemed Jack knew how to behave somewhat decently in the company of important individuals.

Years away from the parties kept him far out the loop for him  _not_  to hear the news of Jack Spicer entanglement in the evil circles. Spicer didn't need  _any_  help. The young man he saw as an annoying pest made his own connections without the Heylin side getting involved. An unfathomable feat for someone as young and fresh as Jack Spicer.

Impressive.

His admiration ended when Jack turned his attention onto him and those red eyes widened.

"C-Chase!" Jack's face went bright red at seeing him. "I-I didn't know you came to the villain's gala."

Chase nodded his head toward Jack, "I decided to attend this year's event on a whim."

"Awesome!" Jack smiled big. "I always wondered why you never joined the party. I-I mean, I've been coming here since I was five so-"

Jarlath snorted. "Young probably grew bored of only speaking to children and jungle cats."

" _Seanáthair_!" Jack's jaw dropped at Jarlath's  _insult_.

Jarlath snickered. "He's not  _that_  sensitive to get offended, garmhac." He looked over to Chase. "You're not a sensitive man. Are you Young?"

Chase smirked at the man. "No, I leave such behaviors for the inexperienced who become offended at  _every_  insult thrown at them."

Aleksei chortled. "Hear, hear!"

Jack removed his arms from around Jarlath's middle. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get some juice."

Clarisse pouted. "No wine, dear? I remember last year when you had a whole bottle of wine, you were so  _affectionate_."

The villains in the surrounding area burst into laughter.

Jarlath slapped Jack on the back and didn't hide his amusement. "Aye, my garmhac is an affectionate drunk no doubt. Better than insulting all his brethren through his fists." He looked at the accused villains with an arched brow.

Jack puffed out his cheeks. "If it isn't recorded, it never happened! Excuse me!"

Turning away from the group, Jack went to the refreshment table, cheeks warm from the memories of last year's party. Good thing he left his Jackbots at home. He couldn't bear to see the full coverage of his cuddling spree. Even remembering the small snippets of his wasted drunken mind made him scream in embarrassment. All the villains from the party  _still_  teased him over being so  _adorable_.

Having excused himself from the group, Chase went to Jack's side and inquired. "Spicer. I did not expect to find out your notable evil bloodline."

Jack snapped his head toward Chase and yelped. Placing a hand on his chest, he tried calming himself down before he embarrassed himself. "Damn, I wasn't paying attention. Y-Yeah. I'm from seanáthair's favored daughter's line. If you see a beautiful woman in the main portrait, that's my ancestor."

"Curious." Chase nursed his champagne glass. "How long have you attended these parties?"

Jack hunched his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. "Since I declared that I wanted to be a villain as a kid. Granny retired from the social aspects of villainy and thought this would be great for me. I've made a ton of connections before I knew it." He looked to Chase for approval. "I've even made a ton of weapons for a number of villains! I'm high in demand!"

Chase broke Jack's hopes when he said. "Yet, you're incompetent in showdowns. Your machinery in those occasions are second rate at best. I cannot fathom why any seasoned villain to acquire  _your_  services."

Jack's pride took a hit on being torn down by his idol. To cover up his hurt feelings, he scoffed. "Feh, you're being petty to bring up old showdowns. I'm doing  _much_  better now."

Chase finished his champagne. "It happened  _two days_ ago, Spicer."

Jack averted his eyes and said through a biting tone. "Look, are you here to just insult me or what? Because I'll take the words on another day, but not at seanáthair's party." He looked back at Jarlath whose attention was placed on Chase. "Tone it down will you."

Chase gave Jack a stern look. "How dare you-"

"Save your ass against the villains who see me as a grandson?  _You're welcome._ " Jack smiled pretty to villains who checked up on him. "Fake that you like me and you'll be fine." He muttered to Chase. "You can insult me all you want tomorrow."

Chase retrieved another glass from the refreshment table and sipped it. "You haven't used your connections to rise up the ranks."

"Nah! It's no fun when everything is handed to me. Besides, seanáthair is more of an lecturing sort of mentor. He taught me a shit ton of things, but I have to experience it myself. He does jump in before I do something stupid and his magic  _always_  activates when I'm in mortal danger. Jarlath has saved dad from being killed plenty of times because the alerts activate giving a chance to get out the way." Jack chuckled. "I'm danger prone so seanáthair piles them in layers. I just got three removed this year!"

Remembering numerous showdowns, Chase realized that Spicer tended to miss objects or hits that could have killed him. Sure, Spicer got bruises or cuts, but nothing to suggest that the boy would break a bone or paralyze himself. Spicer did have a delicate constitution suggested that he survived on plain luck. Had that been the case, he wouldn't have shown any surprise.

Chase commented. "I'm not surprised by Jarlath's actions." He finished his glass and set it on the refreshment table. "I met plenty of his descendants during different wars and Jarlath aided in support. He's infamous for being soft-hearted for his family. An interesting weakness for such an infamous immortal."

Jack arched a brow. "Noting wrong with being overprotective. Without him, I would have died plenty of times. I mean, my family would have died about..." Jack hummed to calculate the proper answer. "Two hundred years ago? One of my ancestors pissed off a high ranking noble lord and almost got executed for it. This was before he managed to spawn a kid. Jarlath had to do some dirty work to get the man to disappear under... _unfortunate_  circumstances."

Chase informed Jack. "I've witnessed far worse throughout the years of knowing Jarlath. Old fashioned immortals are...creative in torturing their victims."

"Yeah, he told me a lot about his old methods. Real brutal." Jack grinned at Chase with a twinkle in his eye. "Why don't you get drunk and sing karaoke like the rest of the people here. It starts in an hour! Better yet, I have to scout for the card table. I tend to win a few thousand dollars because people are too drunk to pay attention to their cards."

Chase shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm not one for gambling. I'll watch the spectacles from the sidelines."

"Oh well. I tried." Jack downed his juice and grabbed another one. "So...I'll see you around?"

Chase nodded with a slight smile. "We'll cross paths again soon enough."

"Okay!" Jack said in excitement before leaving the table. As soon as he got some distance, his smile turned into a loving goofy smile. He managed to keep a conversation with Chase Young without babbling on and on.

_**The End.** _


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write a continuation of Jack's first day at the Villain's Gala.

Caroline Spicer appeared at the entrance of her ancestor's hidden home with her grandson, Jack Spicer. The magic of the manor washed over them, a slight ticklish feeling indicated their blood cleared them for entry. Had they not been accepted, the magic would have crushed or maimed them for trespassing. Of course, she didn't tell Jack about this aspect of Jarlath's home to keep his nervousness down to a minimum. Although, Jack didn't appear nervous or scared. The tyke kept on speaking about the _coolness_ of their ancestor and wanting to _join forces_ one day.

She _almost_ shed a tear over Jack's enthusiasm. She caught Jared's proud hidden smirk at Jack's future plans. Her son almost went down the same path. She nourished his desire in entering villainy, but Jared decided on becoming a CEO of an untouchable company. Just as well. Jared did well at his position to where the Spicer name became synonymous in the public and his _secret dealings._

Jarlath sent his descendant a wonderful gift basket alongside ample protection jewelry. Simple rings and watches that warned him of incoming mercenary hits or poison in his food and drink. In any case, his layers of protection kept him untouchable. These safety features extended to his wife, Christine Spicer, who always wore a stunning wedding ring, doubled as a protection charm.

Jack on the other hand, received layers of undetectable protections on the day of his birth. Jarlath hid none of his _favoritism_ to his descendant because of their identical coloring.

Opening the large door, Caroline walked inside with a graceful stride. Keeping her steps short, she made sure to check if Jack tripped on his feet or appeared frustrated at following alongside her.

Caroline chose an elegant square neckline ballroom black dress with a wide crinoline trim. Her white hair was pinned back in an elegant style with ringlets adorning the sides of her face. The makeup only accentuated her features, not hide it with multiple layers. In her mature age, she didn't need to pack on the products if only to keep her beautiful skin healthy. Besides, her rigorous skin care regimen made her age like fine wine. A vast difference from other family members who showed their true age.

In Jack's case, she went with a simple suit with comfortable black shoes. A five year old didn't last long in restrictive clothing so she took this into consideration. In the process of picking his outfit, her daughter in law attempted to interfere. She didn't let her daughter-in-law's obvious distaste of their family history sour their preparations. Christine knew of her past and Jarlath's legacy when she married into the Spicer family.

To attempt to divert Jack from his ambitions was a _disservice_.

Caroline wanted to mentor her grandson until he made _his own_ decision. To soothe her daughter-in-law, she mentioned Jared's change of mind which gave the poor woman hope. Caroline felt _no_ guilt in lying to her. Jared _still_ conducted himself in the evil sphere, but outside of his wife's _view of sight_.

Caroline peered down at Jack's starry-eyed expression. The main parlor tended to amaze those who knew of Jarlath's legacy. "Interesting, isn't it?"

Jack snapped his head to her with a beaming smile. "Yeah! Seanáthair always talked about his trophies and I didn't know he had so many!"

Releasing his hand, Caroline prompted him. "Go ahead. Jarlath should be here in a moment." Jack excused himself before running off to the display cases adorning the large main hallway.

Leaning against the wall, Caroline said out loud. "Do you think he will do well tonight, Jarlath?"

Jarlath appeared right beside her with a pair of champagne glasses. He handed one into her well manicured hands and she thanked him before taking a dainty sip.

Jarlath looked toward Jack with fondness. "There is nothing wrong with starting our future villains at a young age. You brought your son the moment he received a majority of his vaccines as a baby."

Caroline snorted. "There was no way I was leaving Jared with my late husband. Useless in changing diapers and feeding him a bottle." She sipped more of her bubbly. "You did a far better job and became a _proper_ father figure to him. Look at him now, Jared is living up to the family name."

"As expected," Jarlath tipped back his flute of champagne and concealed his chuckle at Jack getting on his toes to see an old gauntlet. "Even if many of my beloved daughter's descendants diverted from evil, the _family ambition_ runs in the blood."

"Seanáthair! You're here!" Jack left the bloodied up battle ax in order to hug Jarlath's legs. "You were right, your trophies are awesome."

Jarlath went down on his knees to pull Jack into an embrace. "Thank you for accepting the invitation." He looked down at Jack's red eyes, the exact shade as his own. "Many of our colleagues are mingling inside of the main entertainment room. You will stick beside me or Caroline. Do you understand?"

Jack tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

Jarlath ruffled Jack's hair. "It's best to introduce you as _my_ descendant before there are... misunderstandings. Although, I'm sure you will charm them without my interference."

Jack smiled big. "Okay!"

"Excellent." Jarlath stood up on his feet and walked to another large set of doors. He waited until Caroline stood next to his side while Jack hid behind their bodies. "We will go through a round of mingling before we have appetizers."

Caroline fiddled with her hair before smoothing down her dress. "Agreed."

* * *

Jack kept himself glued to either his grandma or seanáthair sides throughout the beginning stages of the party. Many of the villains appeared intimidating at first glance, but relaxed when speaking to his grandmother or seanáthair. Throughout the villains he met, multiple legends spoke to his seanáthair like old friends. They kissed his grandma's hand before noticing him and shaking his hand.

Jack tried hard not to act like the bratty kids his mom forced him to play with. These kids screamed to get attention and made fools of themselves. He couldn't help himself. He squealed his name real fast when he introduced himself. All of these infamous villains were right in front of him.

His grandma and seanáthair chuckled at his enthusiasm at meeting his future brethren. They didn't shush him like his mom's grandma did whenever he tried asking the adults questions. The villains treated him seriously and didn't call his dreams of evil as nonsense. In fact, many of them told Jarlath of their delight in seeing _another_ descendant going down their right path. Jack beamed throughout their compliments.

As he squeaked hellos or shook hands, he greeted any new face he locked eyes with. At some point, Jarlath informed him that the grey dressed people were minions, no need for greetings. Instead, Jack _nodded_ to them with a big grin instead of saying hello. His mom and grandma taught him manners.

While his grandma talked with a group of beautiful villainesses, Jarlath left them to speak with the servers of the party to begin the appetizers. After a while, Jack got bored of standing around and doing nothing. Turning around, he saw a group of men speaking to a beautiful blonde woman.

Peeking up at his grandma, he noticed her attention stayed with her friends. This gave him a chance to go to the woman, say hello, and then go back to his grandma before she noticed.

In his opinion, she looked bored being around those people. Maybe, he could make her less bored. His mom always said he made people smile.

Jack went in between the men causing the woman looked down at him. Her frown formed into a smile as he got closer to her. The men whispered behind him, but he didn't pay attention to them. He reached up his hand to hold onto her fingers.

"Hi! I'm Jack Spicer!" Jack copied the men and kissed the air above her hand. "This is my first party."

The woman kept in her awe as she responded in an accent. "A pleasure to meet you, I'm Clarisse Bonnefoy." She crouched down to his level and shook his hand. "First party, _hmm_? Who brought you along to meet your future associates?"

"Seanáthair and grandma." Jack grinned. "Seanáthair is what I call Jarlath."

Clarisse's lips quirked into an amused smile. "I see. _Another_ one of Jarlath's descendants is starting early. How _adorable_."

Jack puffed out his chest with pride. "Yeah! Dad told me he started when he was a baby. I could have started early, but mom said I needed to be bigger." He pointed to his plaid tie as he stage whispered. "I picked out the tie."

Clarisse tucked one of her ringlets behind her ear, exposing her lavish gold earring. "The tie is stunning." She poked his nose making Jack giggle. "Did you want to match with Jarlath?"

"Jarlath always wears this pattern so I picked it." Jack nodded his head. "He says I have to show pride of our heritage. I'll wear the kilts on the next party or my birthday party. I don't know if mom will let me. She doesn't seem to like it when dad wears them."

Clarisse said. "Well, I'm sure your papa will agree to your request. Better yet, I'm sure Jarlath will beam at seeing you in traditional clothing."

"Really?"

"Of course," She stood back up and patted away the wrinkles in her dress. "Many family members showed respect to their ancestor through wearing traditional clothing. Granted, this doesn't happen during every party, but it is a nice gesture."

Jack nodded his head. "I'll have grandma buy me a kilt tomorrow." He looked back at his grandma and noticed her kissing the cheeks of the villainesses. "Oh, I have to go now. Thank you for talking to me Ms. Clarisse."

"Goodbye, Jack. Visit me soon." Clarisse managed a kiss on his cheek before a red faced Jack run away.

Clarisse watched Jack rush through the men and stood behind his grandmother. When Caroline turned to check on Jack, he smiled innocently at her. Caroline smirked before pinching Jack's cheek before leading him away toward another group.

* * *

Once the appetizers began coming out of the kitchen, Jack stuffed his face with different kinds of food. He picked the parts he didn't like and put them on a napkin his grandmother placed next to his plate. Throughout his sampling, he tried hard not to drop food on his suit. He hated getting his hands sticky as well. Once a piece of food landed on his tie, Jarlath spelled it away before placing a napkin over his chest.

Jack swore to himself he was learning magic from his ancestor once he grew old enough. He hoped he was able to do it. The magic training happened when a person was older. Jarlath learned magic once he became an immortal as an adult. Meaning, he had a chance even if he decided to do it when he grew up.

Again, Jack grew bored sipping his apple juice while the adults were busy talking _business_. Jarlath warned him not to interrupt people during _secret_ business dealings. Jack nodded his head. His dad told him the same thing whenever he passed by his study and heard illegal deals.

Hopping off his seat, Jack wandered away from the tables and people watched. He recognized some of the villains Jarlath didn't introduce him to yet from photos, but he kept walking. All of them looked busy in their private business talk. The signs of hushed voices contrasted with the open conversations in different parts of the room.

His attention went to a large group of men sitting around a large table. Checking them out, he saw no signs of private talk so he got closer to them.

"Hi! I'm Jack Spicer! Future villain! This is my first party."

He received scattered words in a different language that Jack guessed was Russian. His dad took his along business deals and spoke in different languages. Before Jack saw anyone, his dad told him which language he spoke in order for him to remember some of the word patterns. As a smart boy, he remembered a lot of things and his dad always said knowledge was power.

Jack got on his toes and managed to see the contents of the table. There was a large pile of money on the table with the colorful coins used in the casinos his mom went to. Looking around, he saw multiple glasses filled with different colored water.

Jack asked the man right next to him. "Excuse me, sir. What are you drinking?"

The man turned his attention onto him, revealing his missing eye and scarred up face. "Something a child should never drink."

Cheekily grinning, Jack inquired. "Water?"

" _No_." The gruff man grunted out as he blew a line of smoke into the air. "Adult water."

Jack stuck his tongue out and scrunched his face. "Bubbly water?"

Some of the surrounding men gave into laughter at Jack's questioning as the scarred up man let out a rough sigh. " _Russian_ water."

" _Oh_." Jack rocked back and forth, causing a squeaking noise from his shoes. "Is it different from regular water?"

" _Very_ different."

Jarlath made himself known with an amused comment. His appearance made the villains turn their gaze onto him instead of Jack. "My apologies, Aleksei. My garmhac managed to escape our company." Patting down Jack's wayward silver hair, he made eye contact with the imposing man. "The constant questioning of a child is a curious thing. Is it not?"

Aleksei downed his drink and handed it to his minion for a refill. "Yes." He snubbed his cigar onto the ash tray before putting down his cards winning the round. The other men yelled in frustration of having lost their money. "Reminds me of my descendant."

Jarlath smirked. "Great potential shows up in the best of our lines. I dare say, my daughter's line never disappointed me. Say goodbye, Jack. You spoke about meeting Vlad the Impaler. He has finally arrived. Caroline is keeping him company until we arrive."

Jack snapped his head up in glee. "Yay!"

* * *

Santiago Cortez retold his glory days to fresh faced villains with gusto. Using his arms, he showed the best ways to disarm a hero or easy ways in using any weapon to their advantage. Before he became evil, he was an instructor of the sword. He taught various walks of life and _loved_ teaching. This didn't stop once he got his hands bloody during the pirate decades in world history. His patience made him the best person to teach new recruits and keep the loyalty of his crew. 

In any case, he left his ship to his first mate when he retired. Instead of lifetime of being a pirate, he became an immortal through cashing in a favor from a woman he saved in his youth. Afterwards, he went into the underground and made enough money to live in splendor for all eternity. 

He came out of well hidden castle to teach at a school every century or to help out a fellow associate. At least, he didn't stay bored for long. 

During his retelling his stealing from a duke's castle, an excited _little boy_ piped up. "Cool!"

Santiago paused in his story to look down to see a mini Jarlath staring up at him. Inspecting the surrounding area, he locked eyes with Jarlath and then turned his eyes on his protégé Caroline Spicer. Jarlath smirked at him, motioning for him to continue his storytelling, but kept his distance away from the group.

Coughing into his enclosed fist, he continued on. Making sure to censor certain gore filled scenes, he kept the little boy in mind. He didn't know how far Caroline Spicer and Jarlath described their ventures, but he didn't need a lecture over scarring a child.

Although, the little boy's awe filled eyes made him doubt it.

In fact, Jarlath's descendant raised his hand to ask him questions about the best way to rob a ship.

In these instances, Santiago regretted not having procreated to have such an ambitious future villain in his sight. His paranoia in having a woman kill him in the bedroom made him _highly_ selective in who ended up as his lover. Then again, no one ever said he couldn't take an apprentice.

* * *

Caroline tucked Jack in his bed with a proud smile on her face. "Did you have fun, dear?"

Jack rubbed his eyes in an attempt to stay awake. "Yeah! Did Seanáthair say I can go again next year?"

Caroline brushed back his hair to reveal his forehead. She bent down to kiss his forehead before she informed him. "Yes. Jarlath was impressed at your subtle way of networking that he told me you have a _permanent_ invitation." She put her finger to her lips. "Do not tell your mother."

Jack shuffled his hand from underneath his blanket to use his finger to shush himself. "I won't tell mom."

"Keep your little...adventures a secret from her as well." Caroline said. "I know for a fact you kept on running away from us."

Jack pouted. "I'll get sneakier before you know it."

"I don't doubt it." Caroline turned on the night light beside his bed filling the room with stars. "Remember, you have us for guidance. Don't feel shy in asking questions."

Jack nodded his head with a sleepy smile. "Okay..."

_**The end.** _


End file.
